The recent rise of the tablet has seen a drastic change in the way in which we surf the internet and watch media. Aside from offering a range of web-based functions, tablets offer a great deal of storage space for your important documents and files.

As tablets have become increasingly more popular over the past few years, we thought it would be wise to have a look at some of the current models and see just what you get for your money with this latest technological sensations.

The HTC Flyer

HTC have fast been branding themselves as a top-quality manufacturer of innovative Smartphones and, not wanting to miss a trick, they have transferred their technology over to the tablet format.

The HTC Flyer is characterised by innovative design and exceptional speed. With a clean and clear design the HTC flyer is available in white, demonstrating the sleek and smooth design style which HTC are known for.

The HTC Flyer price comes in at £599.00 – what you would expect for HTC’s latest bit of technological wizardry.

The specifications for the HTC Flyer are as follows:

•Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz

• Operating System: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

• RAM: 1GB

• Screen: 7 inch multi-touch LCD screen with a resolution of 1024×600 megapixels

• Memory: 32GB with expandable micro SD memory card slot

• Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi and 3G connectivity as well as GPRS, EDGE, HSPA and WCDMA• Sound: Dual speakers with virtual surround sound

• Camera: 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus on reverse and 1.3megapixel front camera

• Physical Appearance: Height 195.4mm, Width 122mm, Depth (thickness) 13.2mm and Weight 420g

• Battery: 4000mAh Lithium Ion Battery

• Additional Features: ambient light sensor, G-sensor, digital compass etc.

Motorola Xoom

Another tablet currently on the market is the Motorola Xoom. Another popular manufacturer, it seems only logical that Motorola would release their own form of tablet in order to continue to compete in the technological market.

Characterised by its powerful and flexible use, this tablet is another smoothly designed piece of kit. The Motorola Xoom price comes in at a fairly reasonable £399.99 making it cheaper than the HTC Flyer whilst also lacking some of its features.

The specifications for the Motorala Xoom are as follows:

• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core Processor, 1GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

• Operating System: Android v3.0

• RAM: IGB

• Screen: 10.1inch LCD multi touch capacitive screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 and four way screen rotation functionality

• Memory: 32GB memory with microSDHC card slot

•Wireless: 1 x USB 2.0 Port, Bluetooth Class 2, 1 x HDMI Port,

• Sound: Stereo speakers

• Camera: 5megapixel rear camera with 2megapixel front facing camera

• Physical Appearance: Height 249.1mm, Width 167.8mm, Depth (thickness) 12.9mm and Weight 730g

• Battery: Lifespan of up to 10hours video playback and charge time of 3.5hours

• Additional Features: E compass, GPS, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope etc.

Apple iPad 2

Of course, no comparison of tablets would be complete without considering the specifications of one of the biggest contenders: the Apple iPad. The latest incarnation, the Apple iPad 2, features a number of great additions that make this another strong competitor in the tablet race.

The specifications for the Apple iPad2 are:

• Processor: 1GHz dual-core, Apple A5

• Operating System: iOS 4

• Screen: 9.7inch LCD backlit, touch-screen display

• Memory: 16Gb, 342GB or 64GB

• Wireless: Wifi, Bluetooth and EDR technology with additional 3G on certain models

• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1

• Camera: Front and rear facing camera. Rear camera has 5x optical zoom and HD (720p) capability.

• Physical Appearance: Height 241.2mm, Width 185.7mm, Depth (thickness) 8.8mm and Weight 601g

• Battery: Lifespan of up to 10hours playback

Samsung Galaxy Tablet

This range of sleek tablets has caused a bit of controversy of late, Apple has managed to put a temporary ban on their latest 10.1 inch model in Australia. For our purposes we’ll take a look at the 10.1 model which is available to buy in UK stores.

• Dual Core 1.0 Ghtz
• Operating system: Android Honeycomb 3.1
• RAM: 1GB
• Screen type: TFT 1280 x 800 pixels 10.1″ Touchscreen
• Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 3G
• 2mp front & 3mp rear cameras
• Adobe Flash Player
• Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 preinstalled
• Battery: 7000 mAh
• Dimensions: L256.7 x W175.3 x D8.6 mm
• Weight: 565g

BlackBerry Playbook 

The last ‘big’ tablet for consideration is the other big name in the tablet technology sector: the BlackBerry Playbook.

The specifications of the BlackBerry Playbook are:

• Processor: I GHz Dual Core Processor

• Operating System: BlackBerry Tablet OS

• RAM: 1GB

• Screen: 7” LCD display with 1024 x 600 resolution

• Wireless: Wifi and bluetooth

• Sound: Stereo speakers and stereo microphones

• Camera: Dual video and dual facing cameras, 3megapixel front facing camera and 5megapixel rear facing

Physical Appearance: Height 130mm, Width 194mm, Depth (thickness) 10mm and Weight 425g

Which one do you consider to be the best? Are these mini powerhouses enough to topple the PC and become the future of computing?